Prisoner of Azkaban vs. Goblet of Fire

Which is Better

CanMag Polls

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban3912 (7%)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire53986 (93%)

Total Votes: 57898

Before heading out to the theatres to catch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last weekend, I had begun to notice a trend in my mailbox. If there was one big question that needed answering about the film, it was this-- Is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a better film than Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? While writing my review I had this question at the top of my head and by the end of the article, I was still split on which way to go. Both films have their perks and, since the entertainment level was to the max for Goblet of Fire, I figured I would claim that the film is 'probably' the best yet.

After doing so, I began again to receive emails claiming that I kind of dodged the question. So, since I am still split on the two, I figured I would let you, the readers, decide. But here is a little bit of input first.

Let's face it, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was startling proof that changing directors in a film series is not always a bad thing. Alfonso Cuaron took everything laid down by Chris Columbus and made it one, or ten, better. The only thing I missed in Prisoner was the house robes, exchanged out for muggle-style clothes.

Cuaron realized that the Potter audience has been growing up and, following suit, made Prisoner of Azkaban a darker film that all ages could enjoy and become terrified by. The dementors were freaking amazing!

The only mistake I found in Prisoner of Azkaban is that it is the only film without any sense of closure. The first two films end with a discussion from Dumbledore, who explains the recent events. For Prisoner of Azkaban, many were expecting some closure from Professor Lupin, but we never got it. In what would have taken five minutes at most, Lupin could have explained his full relationship with James Potter, Sirius Snape and the Marauder's Map. Since he didn't, we were left with questions such as why did Harry's Patronus become a deer looking creature? A question that is answered in the book.

Best Aspects:

First step into a darker Harry Potter, the graphics are seriously improved, Gary Oldman, the cinematography and pacing are poetic and smooth, a more rebellious set of characters.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, we encounter yet another new director in Mike Newell, who creates such an entertaining film that the minutes seem to fly right by. However, this entertainment comes at a cost with the biggest issue being the overall pace of the film. Some scenes are so fast that they can end somewhat abruptly as they jump into a slower, more story oriented, segment. Though this was fine by me considering how much information from the book had to be squeezed in, but it was definitely still an issue with the film.

Luckily, Mike Newell makes up for the odd pacing by blowing away audiences with an amazing Dragon scene, a cool underwater adventure and some serious humor and drama. I was wondering how Mike Newell was going to draw emotion from the audience by the death of a major character, and was pleased to see him pull it off. Mike Newell also spent a good deal of emphasis on adolescence, hormones and dating. With this, Mike Newell was able to show off a bit more from the characters while drawing laughs from the audience.

By the end of Goblet of Fire, one could only be exhausted from a solid two and a half hours of action and suspense. Though this is great for most, the film still lacked the tight structure witnessed in Prisoner of Azkaban. And, like Azkaban, Goblet of Fire had a couple scenes that could have been done better.

One such scene was the courtroom featuring the prosecution of Death Eaters. The scene, as it is written in the book, is absolutely mind blowing. However, I don't know if it was for the sake of time, but Mike Newell decided to completely change this scene around and make the latest villain stand out like a house elf wearing twenty plus SPEW hats. What gives?

Best Aspects:

Mike Newell throws out entertainment to the max, one of the coolest dragon scenes I have ever seen, tons of humor, enough character development for the action, better acting, further improves special effects.

Conclusion:

Here is the conclusion that I will let our readers decide upon. Which is a better film: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Again, tough call.